


Avengers: Major Arcana

by Sophia_Prester



Category: Captain America (2011), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Fanart, Gen, Tarot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-08
Updated: 2013-03-20
Packaged: 2017-11-13 20:19:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/507349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophia_Prester/pseuds/Sophia_Prester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my take on how the Avengers and characters from the MCU might fit into the Major Arcana. Cards will be done in a variety of media, and are accompanied by a brief explanation for why I chose what I did for each one.</p><p>Just posted - Card 2: The High Priestess</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick overview of the thinking behind this deck, and utterly, utterly skippable.

This chapter is more of an extended author’s notes than anything else, so feel free to skip right to **Card 0 - The Fool** , if you like. Otherwise, this is here in case anyone is curious about what went into the creation of this deck in general.

I’ll start off by saying that I can’t recall exactly what sparked the idea of an Avengers-themed tarot deck, but I think the Sherlockian Tarot tumblr may have started me idly thinking of who would be which card in a movie-verse Avengers deck. The cards that came to mind were the Fool, the Magician, the Emperor, the Moon, and the Sun. Before long, I had eighteen out of twenty-two cards figured out. At this point, I realized this would be my next art project.

I knew going in that this is probably not an original idea by any stretch of the imagination. That said, there’s something about the idea of a tarot deck that calls out for individual interpretation, and I wanted to get mine down on paper. I did want to try to adhere to the traditional meaning of each card, even if that meant going with less than traditional iconography in order to get that meaning across. As far as I am following any particular iconography, I went with Rider-Waite. While planning the cards, I bounced ideas off a few good friends, which led to some major changes as they shared their take on various cards and/or characters. I’ll go into more particulars on individual cards as they are posted, including which ideas almost got used for those cards. Debate on my choices or explanations as to why you would have chosen differently are definitely welcome.

In terms of characters, I managed to get all the main and secondary characters from the Avengers movie in the Major Arcana with the exception of Eric Selvig. I did draw from Thor, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Captain America for characters to flesh out the rest of the Major Arcana. With one deliberate exception and four semi-exceptions, I also did not repeat characters within the Major Arcana. 

Shipping-wise, I didn’t go into this project with any pairings in mind, so feel free to read things into various cards as you see fit. I multi-ship like mad in this fandom, so it’s entirely possible that some of that worked its way into some of the cards. As for **Card 6 - The Lovers** , well... you’ll just have to wait and see.

Regarding the actual process of making the cards, other than a couple of trial sketches, I didn’t do any drawing until I had figured out nearly all of the Major Arcana. Once that was done, I started doing detailed concept sketches to make sure that the cards as drawn would be meaningful even without commentary.

Cards in this deck are done in a variety of media, depending on what I felt worked best for the feel of each card. The usual suspects, though, are colored pencil, watercolor, water soluble graphite, and my trusty Sakura Micron pens. I used iPhoto and SketchBook Pro for color correction and to deal with a few inevitable glitches.


	2. Card 0 - The Fool

[](http://sophiap.livejournal.com/pics/catalog/2681/32623)

**Card #0 - The Fool  
Pre-Serum Steve Rogers**

This isn’t meant as a slight on poor Steve, really it isn’t. The Fool is a card of dreamers, of new beginnings, of optimism, and of possibilities. That’s why I feel it fits Steve’s situation at the beginning of “Captain America” quite nicely. Also, while the Fool is starting out on his journey, he doesn’t know _quite_ where he’s going, and could get himself into big (and possibly wonderful) trouble if he’s not careful.

Steve has an idea of his purpose, but he hasn’t quite found the way there yet. While pure-hearted, he’s also overly optimistic and perhaps more than a little naive in his attempts to join the Army. The soldier on the poster behind him is pointing in the opposite direction to which he’s walking. Ahead of him is a steep cliff, but there’s also a hint of what’s to come in the trash can lid “shield” around the corner. The stray dog (traditional to this card) is sniffing at the shield, as if trying to draw Steve’s attention to it. 

Done in colored pencil, and I may re-do this card later, as I'm thinking watercolor will look better, and I'm not 100% happy with it. Anyhow, it'll stay up for now. Also, the army poster behind Steve is based on an actual WWII recruiting poster. One other thing I found while drawing this card was that it was very difficult to get realistic proportions on Steve. It took me some time to figure out that the CGI they used to make Chris Evans look like a 98-lb weakling also did some very funny things to his head/body ratio.


	3. Card 1 - The Magician

[](http://sophiap.livejournal.com/pics/catalog/2681/35149)

**Card #1 - The Magician  
Howard Stark**

This is the card of strong-willed creators, inventors, showmen, and smooth talkers. It’s pretty obvious why my first impulse here was to assign Tony to this card. As I thought things through, I found Tony fits better with an entirely different card while Howard Stark is a much more fitting choice for the Magician.

The Magician is also a master of alchemy, magic tricks and the “great reveal.” Howard took on this role in death, with the puzzle and message that led Tony to the key to a brand new element. In short, even without the available technology, Howard knew what it would take to do the equivalent of turning lead into gold.

In this card, Howard stands behind the beginnings of the tabletop diorama of the Stark Expo - the diorama that was also a hidden depiction of a brand new element. Behind him are four pictures, including the atomic bomb, flying cars, Captain America, and - hidden from view behind him just as it is hidden in plain sight in front of him - the glow of the arc reactor. Also on the table are items (cigarette, poker chips, Scotch on the rocks, Colt .45) corresponding to the four trumps of the Minor Arcana.


	4. Card 2 - The High Priestess

**Card #2 - The High Priestess  
Peggy Carter**

The High Priestess is a guide into another, secret, world that is beyond our imagination. Peggy Carter takes on that role for Steve Rogers in many ways. She is the one who guides him to the laboratory where everything will change. She offers illumination in other ways, such as when she advises Steve to respect Bucky’s choice while Steve is grieving. Her position as an agent for a secretive organization also qualifies her for this role.

In this card, Peggy opening the door (hidden behind a bookcase, appropriately enough) to the laboratory where Steve Rogers will become Captain America. The change he will go through is not just physical, but an amplification of what he is deep inside, spiritually. Her finger is to her lips, reinforcing the secret nature of what is to happen. The edge of the door on one side of Peggy and the coat rack on the other are meant to be indicative of the two pillars that are frequently associated with this card. There are also a few other elements from the card scattered about as well.

This time, instead of colored pencil, I went with pan pastels, specifically so I could get a softer tone to the colors. Inking was done, as usual, with Sakura Micron pens. Also, I know the cards have all been very Captain America-centric so far, but that will change starting with the very next card.


End file.
